Did you know that about 2 months of reading and math skills are lost over the summer months? It’s what teachers refer to as the “Summer Slide.” As a parent, there ways to help your child from falling behind this year. As a matter of fact, it takes as little as 2 to 3 hours per week during the summer to avoid any learning loss and Prevent The Summer Slide.
Ways To Prevent The Summer Slide:
Read, Read, Read:
Read Aloud– Children should read for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. When reading aloud, they can practice their oral reading and comprehension skills. My kids love using reading logs to keep track of the number of books or the minutes that they read every month.
Listen to Books– Children can develop their listening skills by hearing others read books aloud. We have a stack of chapter books that my kids want me to read to them this summer. They also love listening to audiobooks! It’s a great independent activity that will help them develop their comprehension skills.
Visit the Library– Many libraries offer special summertime activities for children. Our local library has reading challenges, book scavenger hunts, and other learning opportunities all summer long.
Visit Places In Your Community:
Visit the Zoo or Nature Preserve– Take advantage of the warm weather and take your children to a zoo or nature preserve. Children can learn a lot about animals, plants, and other living things that live and grow in their community. Like libraries, many zoos offer special activities for children during the summer including day camps.
Visit Museums– On rainy days, visit museums. Many children’s museums provide a lot of hands-on and interactive learning opportunities for children of all ages.
Around the House Learning:
Chores– You can turn everyday activities into teachable moments and learning opportunities. When you are folding laundry, have your children match the socks together or count the number of washcloths. When you are emptying the dishwasher, have your kids add the number of spoons and forks together or identify the shapes of the plates and glasses.
Plant A Garden– Planting a garden gives children the chance to learn about nature and how things grow and change. It also teaches kids about taking care of things and responsibility.
Cooking and Baking– By involving children in the kitchen, they learn many skills such as counting and how to properly measure ingredients. They can also learn how things change when mixed together or heat is applied. The possibilities for learning are endless!
Around Town Learning:
Grocery Shopping– When you are grocery shopping, you can easily give your children a lot of chances to learn. Have them add all of your groceries together as you put them into the cart. You can teach your kids about budgeting, using a calculator, and the value of money. For younger children, ask them to find specific items to encourage them to read.
Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt– To learn about the places around town, create a scavenger hunt for your children to locate places such as the fire station, library, or grocery store. This is a fun way to teach him or her how to follow directions and use a map
These are just few Ways To Prevent The Summer Slide but there are learning opportunities everywhere. Use learning resources and everyday activities to teach your child and avoid the “summer slide” this year.
Pin It For Later:
Do you want to save these activities for later? Pin this to your summer board on Pinterest and it’ll be here for when you’re ready!
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